Law of Population 91 



labour market. The same phenomenon is visible in 

 Norway. The population of Sweden, which in the 

 previous decade added only 4-8 per cent, made in this 

 an increase of 8-2 per cent, while the actual increase of 

 Norway was raised from 3-3 to 10-2 per cent. Whereas 

 in the eight years 1887-94 the emigration from Norway 

 amounted to 147,000 persons, it amounted for the nine 

 years 1895-1903 to 47,000. These figures prove that a 

 season of prosperity had come to both countries, 

 marked by a great home-labour demand, accompanied 

 by an increased standard of comfort that neutralised 

 to a great extent the attractiveness of a settlement in 

 the United States. 



In the second decade, 1864-73, Sweden suffered 

 from five disastrous years, during which the propor- 

 tional number of marriages fell from 7-6 per 1000 

 persons -to 6-5. In 1867 there fell upon Sweden and 

 Norway a terrible commercial crisis, such as happens 

 after a course of over-production and over-trading, the 

 effect of which, in throwing great numbers out of em- 

 ployment, was continued throughout a series of years. 

 This was accompanied by agricultural depression. In 

 that period began the great efflux from Scandinavia to 

 the United States of America which has gone on 

 continuously up to the present time. 



We next deal with Prussia, the Netherlands, and 

 Belgium, which show, as a common feature, a decline 

 in the birth-rate exceedingly small compared to the 

 death-rate — in each case due mainly to the expansion 

 of the labour market, and in a small degree, compara- 

 tively, to the effect of emigration. 



As the boundaries of Prussia were largely extended 

 in the decade 1864-73, Paulin was not able to give the 

 natural and actual increases until after that period. 



